Sunday, May 10

Girlhood

Exclusive Area Premiere May 8–11

GIRLHOOD / Bande de Filles (2014) dir Céline Sciamma w/Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté [113 min; DCP; in French with English subtitles]
Fed up with her abusive family situation, lack of school prospects and the “boys’ law” in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school and starts stealing to be accepted into the gang. When her home situation becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands.

★★★★ “The movie captures that heady adolescent sense of time stopping and the moment mattering while standing far enough back to let us acknowledge all the pitfalls Marieme is moving too fast to see.” – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe

“One of the best coming of age movies in years!” – Eric Kohn, Indiewire

NYT Critics’ Pick “Céline Sciamma’s ‘Girlhood’ can be described (like so many movies these days) as a coming-of-age story, and it honors the genre, and its main character, with exemplary sensitivity and sympathy.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times